About

Islamic finance has come a long way over the last four decades. During its current transformative decade, Islamic finance is facing the challenge of strategic sustainability and needs to revisit its operational paradigm. Landfills, ecological and environmental degradation, climate change, and other factors stressing the planet are widely understood to be the by-products of the current linear approach of the world economy. While this approach of ‘taking, making, using, disposing and wasting’ the planet’s resources is the dominant economic paradigm, the laws of ecology, like the water cycle, demonstrate that nature does not ever waste.

With these underlying principles, over the last few years, the circular economic system is gaining global attraction. It explores ways, processes and incentives that aim to minimize and ideally eliminate all types of waste. That being so, what are the prospects of a handshake between Islamic finance and this emerging new paradigm?

Thorough studies and deliberations are needed to explore prospects for economics, finance, business, management and other fields of humanities to learn from nature through the lens of Islamic values along with the multidimensional Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations (UN SDGs).

This conference, organized by the Center for Islamic Economics and Finance of the College of Islamic Studies with the support of the Qatar Financial Centre, is set out to probe and take stock of the existing knowledge and prospects for transforming economies to achieve and sustain multidimensional development by bringing together original papers deliberating on Islamic finance and the circular economy.

The conference will convene scholars, intellectuals and professionals from various academic and industrial disciplines to discuss on the following themes:

1. Circular Economy: An Islamic Perspective
2. Circular Economy: Concepts, Models - Challenges and Opportunities
3. Convergence of Islamic Finance and Circular Economy
4. Reimagining Islamic Finance: Demonstrating Impact and Positive Change
5. The Role of Islamic Finance in Global Agenda
6. Circular Innovations - Case Studies

About the Organizer: Center of Economics and Finance 

The Center for Islamic Economics and Finance (CIEF) is one of the research arms of the College of Islamic Studies, at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, that is dedicated to the study of relationships between Islamic faith and economic phenomena and the effect on the behavior of individuals, institutions, and markets by broadly examining Islamic perspectives on production, redistribution and exchange through an interdisciplinary approach. Over the years, CIEF has organized several conferences, namely:

• 8th International Conference on Islamic Economics and Finance (December 2011, Doha)
• 9th International Conference on Islamic Economics and Finance (9-10 September 2013, Istanbul)
• 10th International Conference on Islamic Economics and Finance (23-24 March 2015, Doha)
• Harvard University Muslim Alumni Islamic Finance Conference (October14 & 15, 2016, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA)
• Harvard University Muslim Alumni Islamic Finance Conference (October 26 & 27, 2018, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA)
• CIS-QFC Global Conference on Awqaf (4-6 December 2018, Doha)

About College of Islamic Studies

HBKU’s College of Islamic Studies (CIS) was founded to become a beacon for contemporary Islamic scholarship and thought, and a platform for meaningful intellectual and cultural dialogue on Islam and Muslims. Through its five academic offerings and four research centers, the college seeks to address some of the most pressing questions facing Muslim communities today, both locally and globally. Through its offerings, the college strives to advance a better understanding of Islam and its social dimensions and to produce graduates who can contribute and excel in a rapidly changing world.

For more information on CIS visit: https://www.hbku.edu.qa/en/cis

About Hamad Bin Khalifa University 

Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development (QF), was founded in 2010 to continue fulfilling QF’s vision of unlocking human potential. A homegrown research and graduate studies, the university acts as a catalyst for positive transformation in Qatar and the region while having a global impact.

Located within Education City, HBKU seeks to provide unparalleled opportunities where inquiry and discovery are integral to teaching and learning at all levels utilizing a multidisciplinary approach across all focus areas.

HBKU is committed to actively contribute to achieving the Qatar National Vision 2030 by building and cultivating human capacity through an enriching academic experience and an innovative research ecosystem. Through applying creativity to knowledge, students will have the opportunity to discover innovative solutions that are locally relevant and have a global impact.

At HBKU our students, faculty, staff, partners and leadership all share a common belief in the power of higher education and research to make a positive impact on the development of nations.

For more information on HBKU, visit: www.hbku.edu.qa

About Education City

Qatar Foundation’s flagship initiative is a campus of more than 12 square kilometers that hosts branch campuses of some of the world's leading educational institutes, a homegrown university, and other research, scholastic, and community centers. Together, these institutes make Education City a unique model of academic and research excellence, pioneering a new approach to multidisciplinary, global education and enabling breakthroughs that benefit Qatar and the rest of the world.

Total number of students across our universities and schools: 8,000+
Universities located in Education City: 9
Schools as part of our pre-university education network: 11

More information at https://www.qf.org.qa/education/education-city

About Qatar

Qatar has been an independent sovereign state since 1971. Qatar comprises an 11,500 square kilometer peninsula extending northwards into the Arabian Gulf. It has 563 km of uninterrupted coastline. The country’s population stands at 2.69 million and its capital city is Doha.
Local time is GMT/UCT + 3 hours. There are no daylight savings adjustments.
Qatar has a desert climate with year-round sunshine, very hot summers and mild winters. Mean monthly temperatures range from 17°C in January to 36°C in July, sometimes reaching highs of 40°C+ during the summer. Rain is infrequent, falling in brief showers mainly in winter.
Capital: Doha
Population: 2.69 million
Area: 11,500 sq. km
Language: Arabic
Religion: Islam
Currency: Riyal
Power Connection: The power plugs and sockets are of type D and G. The standard voltage is 240 V and the standard frequency is 50 Hz.

More information at https://www.visitqatar.qa